Fuel-feed system for internal-combustion engines



A'. J. GUAY (NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME I. A. GUAY). FUEL FEED SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED JAN I8, I92I..

1&35, 31 170 Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. I. GUAY (NOW BY IUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME I. A. GUAY' FUEL FEED SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. III, IOZI.

Patented Nov. 7, I922.

SHEET 2.

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lf atented Nov. 7, 1922.

warren ARTHUR Si. GUAY (NOi/V BY J'UDICIAL CHANGE OF NAlJZE JOSEPH ARTHUR GUAY), OF

LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

FUEL-FEED SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed January 18, 1921. Serial No. 438,231.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. GUAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F uel-F'eed Systems for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to fuel feed systems such as are used in connection with internal combustion engines, particularly systems of the vacuum feed typeand has for its object to provide an improved structure and arrangement in a system of this character. The invention is more especially intended for use in connection with automobiles although it may be used wherever found applicable.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a structure used in carrying out my invention; F ig. 2 shows the structure of Fig. 1 connected to a complete fuel feed system, certain of the parts being in difierent pos1. tions from those shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, of a modification.

Referring to the drawin Figs. 1 and 2, 5 indicates an internal com ustion engine, 6 a carburetor which may be of the usual float feed type, and 7 a manifold connecting the carburetor to the cylinders of the engine. These parts are shown diagrammatically and may be taken as typical of any engine and carburetor structure. 8 indicates a fuel supply tank connected to carburetor 6 by a pipe 9. Tank 8 is located at ahigher level than carburetor 6 and pipe 9 is connected to it at the bottom so fuel will flow from the tank to the carburetor by gravity. Tank 8 forms the immediate fuel supply means for the carburetor. "Located at a suitable point and at a level lower than tank 8 is a fuel storage tank 10 which holds the. main supply of fuel for the en g As already stated, fuel supply tank 8 forms the immediate supply of fuel for the engine and storage tank 10 the general supply and my invention has particularly to do with a system or arrangement for automatically transferring fuel from storage tank 10 to tank 8 so as to always keep a suitable supply of fuel therein. In the case of an automobile, for example, storage tank 10 may be located at the rear of the car and tank 8 may be located at any suitable point for supplying the carburetor.

Associated with supply tank 8 and preferably concentric with it and located partly within it is a closed casing which forms a float chamber or vacuum chamber 11. It is shown as comprising a cylindrical vessel 12 having an open top surrounded by an out-turned flange 13 which rests on an inturned flange 14 at the top of tank 8. The open top of vessel 12 is thus substantially flush with the top of tank 8. Over the top of vessel 12 is a cap or cover 15 provided with a flange 16 which rests on flanges 13 and 14. Flanges 13, 14 and 16 are fastened together by bolts or screws 1?, suitable packing rings being provided so as to make a tight joint. Vessel 12 is substantiall smaller in diameter than tank 8 and terminates some distance from the bottom of it. At the lower end of vesscl 12 is a conduit or opening 18 which connects float chamberll to tank 8, and in such conduit or opening is a suitable valve 19 which permits fuel to flow from float chamber 11 to tank 8 but prevents fuel flow in the opposite direction. In the presentinstance, a ball check-valve is shown resting against a rounded seat and limited in its movement by a pin 20. The conduit. 18, which in substance is a valve casing, extends slightly upward so valve 19 tends normally to rest against its seat by gravity, the valve being thus biased toward closed position.

Tank 8 is connected to atmosphere through an opening 21 in cap 15 so such tank always has atmospheric pressure therein.

Float chamber 11 is connected to storage tank 10 by a pipe 22 which extends from the upper end or top of the float chamber to the lower end or bottom of the tank. {lap 15 is provided with a nipple 23 to receive a pipe union for connecting pipe 22 to the cap and over the end of the pipe is a strainer 24. Float chamber 11 is connected by a pipe 25 to the manifold 7, the connection to the float chamber being through an orifice of restricted area as indicated at 26.

In float chamber 11 is a primary float 27 in the form of a sealed, hollow body having a depression or open-topped chamber 28 in it which forms a secondary float chamber in which is located a secondary float 29. Connected to secondary float 29 is a stem 30 which projects through an opening 31 in cap 15 and has 011 its upper end a ball valve 32 which is adapted to fit over opening 31 and close it. Surrounding opening 31 is a flange 33 over which fits an umbrella 34 supported by a wire gauze 35. This serves to admit air to float chamber 11 when valve 32 is open but prevents the entrance of dirt or other foreign substances. In the bottom walls of primary float 27 and vessel 12 are beads 36 which serve to prevent the float resting flat on the bottom wall of the vessel.

The operation is as follows: Assume that the various parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1 and that the engine 5 is running. Under these circumstances the suction of the engine will produce a vacuum in intake manifold 7 and also in float chamber 11 which is connected to the manifold by pipe 25. As long as the engine is running there will be continuous suction on the float chamber tending to maintain always a vacuum therein. Valve 32 is closed and is held on its seat with a certain force due to the atmospheric pressure being greater than the pressure in chamber 11 and the fact that a greater area of the valve is exposed to the outside atmospheric pressure than is exposed to the pressure in float chamber 11. The vacuum in the float chamber will draw fuel from storage tank 10 up into float chamber 11 and as the float chamber fills primary float 27 will move upward. Secondary float 29, however, will remain stationary as the upward pressure due to its becoming wholly submerged is not sufficient to overcome the atmospheric pressure holding ball valve 32 on its seat. Eventually primary float 27 rises until the bottom of depression 28 engages secondary float 29 whereupon it exerts sufficient pres sure on it to lift valve 32 off its seat. As soon as valve 32 is forced slightly off its seat, air enters the float chamber 11 through opening 31 and quickly equalizes the pressures on opposite sides of the valve. The buoyancy of secondary float 29 will then cause float 29 to quickly rise and fully open valve 32. In other words, it will be seen that a certain amount of float force has been stored in secondary float 29 by its submergence in the liquid in depression 28 which float force, while it is not sufficient to lift valve 32 ofi its seat as long as a vacuum exists in chamber 11. once the vacuum is broken by valve 32 being lifted by the primary float, such float force will cause the secondary float to quickly rise to move valve 32 well away from its seat. The uppermost position of primary float 27 is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2 the parts are. shown with valve 32 open. As soon as valve 32 is open the pres-' the restricted opening or orifice 26 so thesuction of the engine does not affect the pressure in the float chamber as long as valve 32 is open. As the engine uses fuel, the level in tank 8 lowers and fuel from the float chamber 11 feeds into it until floats 27 and 29 lower enough to permit valve 32 to seat. As soon as valve 32 seats the suction of the engine again draws a vacuum in the float chamber whereupon another supply of fuel is sucked over from storage tank 10 to supply tank 8, and the cycle of operation just described is repeated.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified arrangement of primary and secondary float in connection with the float chamber. The arrangement otherwise is the same as that of Figs. 1 and 2 and the same reference numerals with the exponent a added are applied to corresponding parts. lVith this arrangement valve 32 is held on seat 31 by the atmospherlc pressure and by the weight of primary float 27 and secondary float 29 Floats27 and 29 are formed as an integral or one-piece structure, float 27 being of greater diameter than float 29. Or viewed from another aspect. floats 27 and 29- may be considered as a single float, having two difl'erent areas.

In operation as the engine pumps fuel from the storage reservoir to float chamber 11, the level of fuel gradually rises around float 29*. This gradually submerges float 29 but as it is comparatively small in diameter, the upward push on it due to its buoyancy does not increase very rapidly, and even when it is entirely submerged, i. e., when the fuel level reaches the bottom of float 27 the upward pressure is not suflicient to overcome the pressure holding valve 31 on its seat. As soon as the liquid level reaches float 27 however, and begins to rise about it, the float force increases very quickly with the result that valve 31 is lifted from its seat. As soon as this occurs the pressure on opposite sides of the valve is equalized and the floats rise quickly lifting valve 31 entirely away from its seat. The floats then hold the valve off its seat until the fuel level lowers.

held to its seat by atmospheric pressure and that a float force tending to open it is built up by the submerging of the secondary float. The.primary float then comes into play to assist the secondary float to start the valve off its seat, The float force that has previously been stored in the secondary valve then comes into play to lift the valve entirely off its seat and to hold it off until the fuel level has fallen a predetermined amount. The arrangement thus provides a definite interval between the opening and closing of the valve.

Both arrangements are simplein structure employing but a single valve and requiring no levers or complicated parts. The opening 31 or 31 is many times larger than opening or orifice 26 or 26" so that when the air valve 32 or 32* is open the suction does not affect the pressure in the float chamber. No valve is needed therefore to control the passage or opening which is connected to the intake manifold. It is also to be noted that the air valve 32 and 32" which controls the vacuum in the float chamber is on the outside of the float chamber where it is accessible for cleaning or removal without taking any of the tank apart; By removing umbrella 34 or 34*, valve 32 or 32 can be lifted from its seat to prime the supply tank and in doing thisno adjustments are changed or any parts rendered inoperative. To get at the interior of the float chamber it is only necessary to remove cap 15, and as is obvious the cap can be removed, the parts inspected and cleaned and replaced by anyone and without exercising particular care or skill since there are no parts to get out of adjustment or which can be replaced wrongly.

Furthermore, the apparatus while thoroughly reliable in operation is very simple in structureso it can be built at a-low manufacturing cost.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the appartus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. but- I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative. and the invention may be carried out by'other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. The combinationwith an internal combust-ion engine, a carburetor, a manifold connecting it to the engine, of means for supplying fuel to the engine comprising a supply tank connected to the carburetor, a vacuum chamber connected to the supply tank and adapted to feed fuel thereto by gravity, said vacuum chamber having an opening, a storage tank connected to the vacuum chamber, a conduit connecting the vacuum chamber to the engine manifold, a valve which seats over said opening in the vacuum chamber, valve and extending through the opening into the vacuum chamber, a secondary. float connected to said stem, and a primary float which rides on the fuel in said supply tank and has a depression in which the secondary float is located.

2. In a system of the character described, the combination with a vacuum chamber having an opening, of an air valve which seats over the opening on the outsidev of the vacuum chamber, a stem connected to the valve and projecting through said opening, a secondary float connected to said stem, and a primary float having a depression in which the secondary float is located.

3. In a system of the character described comprising a storage tank, a supply tank, and asealed chamber to which liquid is pumped from the storage tank and from which it flows to the supply tank, the combination of an air valve for controlling the vacuum in the sealed chamber, said air valve opening outwardly and being held on its seat by atmospheric pressure, a secondary float connected to the valve which float when submerged tends to open the valve, and a primary float adapted to engage the secondary fioat and lift the valve off its seat, said primary float having a depression in which the secondary float is located.

In witness whereof I have here-unto set my hand this 12th day of January, 1921.

ARTHUR J. GUAY.

a stem connected to said. 

